Germans will cull 2,400 pigs due to chloramphenicol

The contamination in pigs was discovered last week when chloramphenicol residues were in pig urine, causing the temporary closure of 26 pig farms. Some of the farms have since tested negative, in others the chloramphenicol was found in feed but not in the pigs.

The meat of about 2,400 pigs were found to be contaminated and hence cannot be brought to market. These animals will have to be culled. One of the other farms, with about 1,300 finisher pigs, is under further investigation.

Spread
The contamination problem has spread geographically since last week. Last week’s initial cases concerned pig farms in the southern German region Allgäu. A public prosecutor confirmed that the contaminated pig feed has also been found in the region Günzburg, just north of Allgäu. Eight pig finisher farms haven been closed temporarily.

The source of the chloramphenicol, forbidden in the European Union since 1994, was the dairy product manufacturer Ehrmann. This company used the chloramphenicol as a laboratory safety procedure. The product ended up in feed due to careless treatment of laboratory trash.